According to a report from 24chasa on December 16th, it was revealed by a member of British American Tobacco's (referred to as "BAT" hereafter) Scientific Research and Development Council that BAT is testing two technologies to restrict minors' access to tobacco products.
Since March 2023, Dr. James Murphy has been appointed as the Director of the BAT Scientific Research and Development Council. Dr. Murphy stated that BAT has invested over 10 billion euros in scientific research on new tobacco products over the past decade. Earlier this year, BAT launched the "Omni" scientific resource library to systematically integrate these research findings. The company plans to have 50 million users of new tobacco products by 2030 and achieve half of its income from new tobacco products by 2035.
Facing the global trend of transitioning to low-risk products, Murphy emphasized that BAT's innovative products such as e-cigarettes, HNB devices, and nicotine pouches, while not entirely risk-free, significantly reduce risks compared to traditional cigarettes.
In response to the increasing interest of minors in e-cigarettes and their alternatives, a spokesperson stated that BAT is developing restriction technologies. One of these is a purchase verification system through a smartphone app to ensure that only adults can register and purchase such products. Another is facial recognition technology based on artificial intelligence that can instantly determine if the buyer is an adult. These technologies are currently being tested worldwide, not only for tobacco products but also for other products limited to adult consumers.
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